The ELAC was established in 2013 by the Indiana General Assembly (IC 12-17.2-3.7). Committee membership is appointed by the governor and includes representation from the Office of Early Childhood and Out of School Learning (formerly The Bureau of Child Care), the Department of Education, Head Start, an early childhood education program, Cummins, Eli Lilly, and the Welborn Baptist Foundation. The committee's responsibilities include:

Conducting periodic statewide needs assessments concerning the quality and availability of early education programs for children from birth to the age of school entry, including the availability of high quality prekindergarten education for low income children in Indiana

Identifying opportunities for and barriers to collaboration and coordination among federally and state funded child development, child care, and early childhood education programs and services, including governmental agencies that administer the programs and services

Assessing the capacity and effectiveness of two and four year public and private higher education institutions in Indiana for the support and development of early educators including professional development and career advancement plans and practice or internships with or prekindergarten programs

Recommending to the Division procedures, policies, and eligibility criteria for the Early Education Matching Grant program

Other duties as determined necessary by the chairperson of the committee

The ELAC must make annual recommendations to the governor and legislative council concerning the results of the committee's work.

Meetings

The next ELAC meeting is scheduled for Friday, February 13, 2015 from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Indiana Government Center South, conference room 4. To watch the meeting via livestream, please visit http://webinar.isl.in.gov/ecosl/. Please note that all ELAC meetings are open to the public. Those who wish to engage with the ELAC must attend the meeting in person.